Awesome Year!

God’s Word has been honored this year through Beyond the Walls, oil change outreach to single mom families at Central Assembly. The Bible plainly says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction…” James 1:27. I think our outreach ministry reflects the heart of this scriptural context from James. This past Saturday a single mom came for the first time who previously had been a student in a Teen Challenge Center. Her vehicle was serviced by our team of willing volunteers. She ended coming back to Central Assembly for Sunday School and Worship, sitting with one of our lady volunteers in Sunday School and another lady from our team during the worship service. We praise God for His work in her life. But also, we thank our volunteers who served this lady and her family with grace, love, and a genuine concern for her well-being. My heart is overflowing with gratitude for an awesome year serving alongside some amazing volunteers. Each month our volunteers work hard in 3 – 4 hours to change single mom families’ cars and inspect their vehicle tires, lights, and fluids. These volunteers represent housewives, mechanics, salesmen, retired pastors and missionaries, secretaries, accountants, retired ministers who’ve served in leadership positions in our fellowship, carpenters – wow, what a great bunch of people to work with!

Divine Outreach Appointments

Sometimes we get caught up inadvertently judging those who come to us for help. We create a box we believe people should fit in before we can reach out to them. This often requires a lot of assumptions on our part. Doing this can add stress to our outreach experience and put undue pressure on ourselves to “mentally qualify” recipients. This assumed responsibility is a load none of us should carry. That’s not to say ministries shouldn’t have guidelines and boundaries. But I personally believe there’s an ultimate God-reason why people come to our outreach and their appointment is not a mistake or unknown by God. I also believe we should pray and trust God to perform His miracle in people’s lives and go about performing our volunteerism with Christ-like compassion. The bottom line is regardless whether a person comes to us under false pretensions or not; the fact is, they came to us. We now have a God-given opportunity. It’s still a divine-encounter moment and we have a choice. Do we assume things we don’t know or judge based on appearance, the type of car they drive, etc.; or do we love, pray, befriend, and trust God to perform the inward miracle in this person’s life. Maybe what they’re looking for is entirely different than what God ultimately wants to give them. Let’s us be the kind, gentle messenger; His ambassador to announce Good News into their life. Maybe this encounter can turn out to be their miracle, ultimately turning their life around, impacted by a Spirit-filled volunteer. “God use us to impact those who come to us. Help us to share You. May we learn to truly love the person like you would and earnestly pray our new friends will experience the eternal destiny of Heaven.”